Thread: Does you Haunted Hayride/House allow...

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you to touch and grab people.

At my Haunted Hayride we can jump over the sides of the trailor grab people, hold them, take there stuff(obviously we give them back) We can pretty much do anything that you want.

Just wondering if your Haunt does these things

No professional haunt or even yard haunter would ever do that around here.

Too much of a chance of someone being hurt, pissed off and lawsuits!

I have a friend that worked for one of the biggest pro haunts in the city, and they have a strict "no touching" policy - even with that, he was punched in the face a few times by people that got freaked out when he got close.

I'm amazed that you haven't had any accidents or lawsuits if you've been doing that for several years - but I sure wouldn't do it if it was me!

Yea i know what you mean. To be honest i dont know if you would call us "professional" iv been here for three years. Yea people get mad and yell at us but they are warned before they come in the woods. Iv actually gotten yelled at by people because they are to scared.

Actually to years ago this one guy that was with us had a bad knee. He was on the trailor and got pushed off the back by some drunk dudes on vacation. He hurt his knee again becasue of that and the two guys got put in jail that night.

You should suggest it, you cant be sued or anything as long as the people get warned and understand what they are going into.

One haunted House in Milwaukee, WI actually can tackle you cut your hair ect.

Originally Posted by DAN PATCH HAYRIDES

Yea i know what you mean. To be honest i dont know if you would call us "professional" iv been here for three years. Yea people get mad and yell at us but they are warned before they come in the woods. Iv actually gotten yelled at by people because they are to scared.

Actually to years ago this one guy that was with us had a bad knee. He was on the trailor and got pushed off the back by some drunk dudes on vacation. He hurt his knee again becasue of that and the two guys got put in jail that night.

You should suggest it, you cant be sued or anything as long as the people get warned and understand what they are going into.
One haunted House in Milwaukee, WI actually can tackle you cut your hair ect.

Not true. You can have a 'no trespassing' sign on your fence but if someone jumps your fence and falls into a hole and gets hurt, they can still sue you. You can be sued for just about anything anyone can dream up. Whether or not they'll win is another matter, but it'll still cost you your time, legal fees, and reputation. Not worth it...

i wish we could do that at my haunt but most of our crowd is TOTers and their parents

It's never alright to ever touch anyone, at any kind of haunted attraction.
The liability factor is too great for people that are sue happy. It doesn't matter how many times you warn the patrons.

On haunted hayrides that I've been on, (which is quite a few) the minions climb on the back of the wagon & try to reach for patrons. They startle scare them with chainsaws (without the chain blade) & run it along the metal railings of the wagon. Some have even climbed up into the wagon & walked around, then left.

Originally Posted by DAN PATCH HAYRIDES

You should suggest it, you cant be sued or anything as long as the people get warned and understand what they are going into.

Unless they sign a contract (which a few houses do around here) you can absolutely get sued. A verbal warning is hardly legally binding.

Im starting to get the feeling people dont like the idea of being grabbed on here. Nothing is more frightning than to be grabbed in the middle of the dark in the woods. I love the fact that we can pretty much do whatever we want tp. Obviously we dont take it to far, it makes it alot more fun to do.

As was said before, absolutely no touching should ever be allowed!

It's for your protection, not the customers.
How do you defend yourself from the allegation that while grabbing people to scare them, you happen to touch someone in a place they feel is inappropriate? It could happen accidentally, but it doesn't even need to have occurred at all. Just the accusation is enough.

You've just been accused of molesting children.
- Prove you never copped a little feel.

All it takes is the allegation to destroy your life.

The whole "I can't be sued..." argument is laughable! Just who gave you that legal advice, a lawyer? You can have a signed, witnessed legally binding contract stating that you can't be sued, and it's still legal to sue you.

If you continue to touch the patrons, eventually you will get sued. I might even show up for some of that easy money! "I saw you grab that little boys crotch!" Sometimes a child molestation case gets national media coverage! Again, prove it didn't happen. Too late, the damage is done.

Even if you don't consider your haunt/hayride professional, the law does. If you charge admission, or you open yourself up to the public, you're professional.

By the way... You do have insurance to cover when a customer falls and hurts themself on your property, don't you?

Originally Posted by DAN PATCH HAYRIDES

Im starting to get the feeling people dont like the idea of being grabbed on here. Nothing is more frightning than to be grabbed in the middle of the dark in the woods. I love the fact that we can pretty much do whatever we want tp. Obviously we dont take it to far, it makes it alot more fun to do.

How do you know what's too far? If I went to your haunt and you grabbed my leg and I thought that was too far, I could sue you... Warnings are great, but touching, grabbing, etc is ridiculous. I'm surprised this is a subject even being discussed.

Lurks in the shadows pretty much summed it up -- what you think is appropriate may not be for someone else. And when someone does sue you for touching inappropriately, prove that it wasn't inappropriate. When you/your haunt folks go to court, which it inevitably will, please post a thread here so we can keep track.

If you can't scare people without touching them, maybe you should try a different hobby.

I just can't stop giggling that you are trying to defend this by saying you won't take it to far, or only do it to a point... lol.